AAP Counts Congress Out of Lok Battle in Delhi, Devises New Strategy to Counter BJP

Asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) is "single-handedly capable" of defeating the BJP in Delhi, city unit chief of the party Gopal Rai outrightly dismissed any chance of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in the national capital.

New Delhi: Hoping to open its account in the Lok Sabha elections in the city, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has adopted constituency-wise strategy to target the rural population and other sections of the society to take on "main rival" BJP in all seven seats.

Asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) is "single-handedly capable" of defeating the BJP in Delhi, city unit chief of the party Gopal Rai outrightly dismissed any chance of a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in the national capital.

Rai, who also holds the portfolios of labour, employment and development in the Arvind Kejriwal government, said the Congress is not in the fight in the Lok Sabha polls.

The AAP has only a "direct fight with the BJP".

"We are working on a constituency-specific strategy on all seven seats in Delhi in view of Lok Sabha elections next year," Rai told PTI.

In the 2014 general elections, the AAP had fielded its candidates on all seven seats in Delhi, but none of them could secure a win.

Talking about the party's strategy for the northwest Delhi seat, Rai said the Aam Aadmi Party had failed to receive support in rural pockets in the last Lok Sabha polls, and now the party in-charge for the constituency, Gugan Singh, is focusing on these areas with extensive contact programmes.

The AAP's in-charge of Lok Sabha seats are most likely to be official candidates in the Lok Sabha polls to be held next year.

He said the party's in-charge for the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat, Pankaj Gupta, has started laying emphasis on small meetings with the electorate in the trader-dominated borough.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan had won this seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

According to the strategy for east Delhi constituency having a mix of voters living in posh localities and unauthorised colonies, the party has adopted extensive outreach programmes to reach voters. Senior AAP leader Atishi has been made in-charge of the parliamentary seat.

Barring West Delhi, the AAP has announced in-charge on the remaining six Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, but Rai has made it clear that no MLA will be given ticket for this seat.

There is a buzz in the party that Uttam Nagar MLA Naresh Balyan will contest from the west Delhi Lok Sabha seat.

"The party will officially announce candidates on all the seven seats in Delhi, along with those in Haryana and Punjab, by January next year," Rai said.

In the 2015 Assembly polls, the AAP had got around 54.34 per cent vote share while the BJP and Congress had 32.19 per cent and 9.65 per cent votes respectively.